Bed frame with headboard storage

ABSTRACT

A bed frame assembly including a soft bed frame having a headboard that provides storage.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

Current soft bed frames have a number of disadvantages. For example, the overall packaging volume of the main bed frame and the supporting bed frame is relatively large, occupying storage and transportation space and resulting in relatively high transportation costs. Such bed frames may be sold separately from mattress foundations, which may be packaged and sold individually and which therefore incur further transportation costs. Conventional bed frames also do not provide storage.

SUMMARY

There remains a need for improved bed frames having a simple structure to allow for modular and standardized production, convenient assembly and disassembly, convenient storage, a small packaging volume, and reduced transportation costs. The present invention relates to a soft bed frame assembly with a headboard having a storage function. The whole soft bed frame includes a soft bed main frame and a supporting bed frame, and the soft bed main frame is further divided into a headboard, a bed side, and a bed end.

The present bed frame assembly can comprise a bed frame, optionally provided together with a mattress foundation. The bed frame includes a headboard formed using a rigid rectangular frame having four sides, one or more internal partitions extending between parallel sides of the frame, and a cover formed by one or more pieces of material extending over at least the rear surface of the headboard, and preferably also over the front surface. The space within the cover forms a storage area divided by the internal partitions. The bed frame further includes a right side rail that extends distally from the headboard and is attached to the lower end of the right side of the headboard when the bed frame is assembled, and a left side rail that extends distally from the headboard and is attached to the lower left side of the headboard when the bed frame is assembled. The distal ends of the right and left side rails are attached to a foot portion in order to complete the bed frame. Leg supports which extend downwardly are preferably attached to the distal end of each of the side rails or to each of the right side and left side of the foot portion of the bed frame. The front surface of the headboard preferably further includes a headboard cushion reversibly attached to the front surface of the headboard, such as using a zipper that extends horizontally between the right side and the left side of the headboard and meshes with a zipper on the rear surface of the cushion, though other fasteners such as hook and loop fasteners can also be used.

In one embodiment, the headboard includes two partitions extending between parallel sides of the frame, such as between the top and bottom of the interior of the headboard frame. The partitions can have approximately the same width as the width of the headboard frame, and together with the interior sides of the frame the partitions can form storage compartments within the headboard. In a preferred embodiment, the components of the bed frame and/or the mattress foundation can be provided in sizes which can be stored for shipment or convenience within the storage space of the headboard, and these components can preferably be reversibly disassembled after assembly of the bed frame and/or mattress foundation. For example, the right and left side rails can be formed from two or more component parts, such as from a proximal side rail portion and a distal side rail portion which are secured to each other by a medial side rail connector. The storage space of the headboard is accesses through a reversibly securable opening, which can be a flap formed in the material of the back cover, for example. The opening can be reversibly secured by means of a zipper, hook and loop fastener, or other fastener known to the art.

The bed frame assembly preferably also includes a mattress foundation sized to fit between the headboard, right side rail, left side rail, and foot portion of the bed frame in the assembled configuration. The mattress foundation includes a frame having a head end frame portion, foot end frame portion, a right side frame portion extending between a right side of each the head end and foot end frame portions, and a left side frame portion extending between a left side of each of the head end and foot end frame portions, together with one or more lateral supports extending between the right side frame portion and the side frame portion. Vertical supports maintain the upper surface of the mattress foundation above a support surface on which the mattress foundation is placed. A plurality of slats can be used to provide further support to a mattress placed on the mattress foundation. The slats can be positioned so that a proximal end is placed on top of the head end portion or one of the lateral supports of the frame, and the distal end of each slat is positioned on top of the foot end frame portion or one of the lateral supports of the frame, whichever is closest. The slats can then be secured to the upper surface of the frame of the mattress foundation by means of hook and loop fasteners or other appropriate means. For example, the upper surface of the head end portion, foot end portion, and lateral supports can comprise one half of a hook and loop fastener, and the lower surface of at least the proximal and distal ends of the slats comprises the other half of the hook and loop fastener, so that the slats are reversibly secured to the frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the present soft bed frame with a headboard cushion and mattress foundation.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the bed frame of FIG. 1 without a headboard cushion or mattress foundation.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rear side of the headboard cushion shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front side of the headboard cushion shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mattress foundation shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the disassembled component parts of the bed frame of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the disassembled component parts of the bed frame of FIG. 1 placed within the headboard portion of the bed frame.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a partition structure of the headboard portion of the bed frame of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a side rail of the bed frame of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the connection between the side rail and headboard of the bed frame of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the connection between the side rail and the foot of the bed frame of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the components of the bed frame of FIG. 1 without a mattress foundation.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view the front of the headboard and cushions of the bed frame of FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a corner of the mattress foundation of the bed frame of FIG. 1 showing the supporting ribs of the mattress foundation.

The reference numbers in the drawings designate the following components of the present appliance:

Reference Number Component 01 headboard 02 headboard cushion 03 side rail 04 foot end portion of the bed frame 05 leg supports 06 cushion zipper 07 lateral side rail connector 08 medial side rail connector 09 zipper on the back of the headboard cushion 10 mattress foundation metal bracket 11 mattress foundation slat 12 headboard rear surface zipper half 13 headboard rear opening flap zipper half 14 headboard cover 15 left side headboard storage partition space 16 central headboard storage partition space 17 right side headboard storage partition space 18 loops of hook and loop fastener 19 hooks of hook and loop fastener 20 headboard screen opening flap 21 bed frame 22 proximal side rail portion 23 distal side rail portion 25 headboard storage compartment 31 right side 32 left side 33 upper end 34 lower end 35 proximal end 36 distal end 37 front surface 38 rear surface 40 mattress foundation 41 head end frame portion 42 foot end frame portion 43 side frame portion 44 proximal side frame portion 45 distal side frame portion 46 vertical support 47 lateral support 48 upper surface 49 lower surface 50 mattress foundation frame 51 headboard frame 52 internal partition

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Definitions

As used herein, the following terms and variations thereof have the meanings given below, unless a different meaning is clearly intended by the context in which such term is used.

“Approximately” refers to a measurement, distance, direction, or other property which is within 10% of the stated property.

“Bed foundation” and “mattress foundation” refer to the portion of a bed that a mattress sits on. A bed foundation can be attached to or integrally formed with a bed frame, or it can be a separate structure, such as a series of wooden slats.

“Bed frame” refers to the part of a bed used to position a mattress and mattress foundation. A bed frame includes a head portion, foot portion, and side rails.

“Cushion” refers to a pad formed from or filled with a soft and preferably elastically deformable material.

“Headboard” refers to a part of a bed frame that forms or attaches to the head of a bed and extends upwardly at least to a point above the upper surface of a mattress on the bed.

“Horizontal” means in a direction roughly parallel to or within 30°, more preferably within 15°, of a support surface on which the present bed frame is placed or assembled.

“Lower end” generally refers to a portion of a component which is vertically below a point which is halfway between the vertically highest and lowest points of the component when the component is present in the assembled form of the present bed frame, and preferably below a point which is at least two thirds of the distance below the vertically highest point.

“Platform” refers to a bed foundation which is supported above a support surface.

“Rectangle” and “rectangular” include square configurations.

“Side rail” refers to the structural component which connects the head portion of a bed frame with the foot portion.

“Slat” and “rib” generally refer to narrow, preferably rectangular pieces of wood, plastic, metal, or other suitably rigid material to support to a mattress in the mattress foundation portion of the present bed frame.

“Upper end” generally refers to a portion of a component which is vertically above a point which is halfway between the vertically highest and lowest points of the component when the component is present in the assembled form of the present bed frame, and preferably above a point which is at least two thirds of the distance above the vertically lowest point.

“Vertical” refers to a direction toward or away from a support surface on which the present bed frame is placed or assembled, and not horizontal, preferably at an angle of between 45° and 90° of the support surface.

Bed Frame with Headboard Storage

The present invention relates to a soft bed frame assembly which has a headboard that provides storage. The soft bed frame can be divided into two modules, including a main soft bed frame and a bed foundation. The main body of the bed frame can include a headboard having a box frame, side rails, a foot end portion, and metal connecting pieces, with leg supports arranged at the foot end of the bed frame. The mattress foundation can be divided into two parts, including a removable metal bed foundation and support slats or ribs.

The frame 51 of the headboard 01 can be divided into three areas by internal partitions 52 and covered with a cover material that opens in the back with a zipper, for example. A headboard cushion 02, which preferably contains a high-resilience sponge material, can be sewn or otherwise attached to the front surface 37 of the headboard 01, and is preferably reversibly attached with a zipper. The components of the soft bed frame can preferably be disassembled and stored in the headboard, and/or can be stored in the headboard prior to assembly, such as during shipment. The headboard is a partitioned box structure, and each component of the bed frame can preferably be disassembled in a reversible manner (i.e., so that the bed frame components are not irreversibly damaged and can be reassembled to re-form the bed frame) and placed in a storage portion of the interior of the headboard, i.e. within the partitioned spaces. In this way, the packaging volume of the bed frame assembly can be minimized and the utilization of shipping space can be maximized, saving freight transportation costs.

The present invention comprises a headboard 01 with internal storage that forms part of a soft bed frame 21. In one embodiment, the invention comprises a bed frame assembly which includes both a bed frame 21 and mattress foundation 40, as shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the assembly can be divided into two modules, including the main body of the bed frame 21, as shown in FIG. 2, and the mattress foundation (FIG. 5). The bed frame 21 can be further divided into a plurality of components, which are shown in a disassembled state in FIG. 12. These components include a headboard 01 and soft headboard cushion 02, two side rails 03 attached to the headboard 01 and extending distally to a foot end portion of the bed frame 04, leg supports 05 (e.g., wooden feet), and side rail connectors 07, 08. The leg supports 05 are placed at the foot of the bed frame 04 in order to support the foot end portion 04 above a floor on which the bed frame 21 is placed.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the headboard cushion 02 covers at least a portion of the front surface of the headboard 01 and provides a soft surface against which a user can recline. The cushion 02 is preferably attached to the front surface of the headboard 01 with a zipper, one half of which can be sewn between the right side and the left side of the cushion on the upper end of the rear surface (cushion zipper 09), with the other half sewn to an upper portion of the front surface of the headboard (seam zipper 06), and the cushion can then be attached by mating the two zipper halves, as shown in FIG. 13. The cushion 02 can also be attached by other means, such as through the use of hook and loop fasteners.

The headboard 01 has a rectangular frame 51 as shown in FIG. 8. One or more partitions 52 can be placed within the frame 51, preferably in parallel to the frame sides and to each other, in order to form compartmentalized areas. The partitions 52 extend internally between opposing sides of the headboard frame 51. When covered by the cover 14 and/or with other materials, the headboard thereby forms a box for storage with an internally partitioned structure. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the headboard storage compartment 25 is divided into three compartments, a left, center, and right side headboard storage partition space (reference nos. 15, 16, and 17 respectively, best seen in FIG. 8).

In order to complete the storage compartment structure of the headboard 01, the headboard frame 51 is covered by one or more pieces of material that form a headboard cover 14. The material extends over at least the rear surface 38 of the headboard 01, and preferably also over the front surface 37, although the front can be covered by other structures or material. The cover 14 serves to screen the internal structure of the headboard 01 as well as to retain any contained components during storage or shipment of the bed frame. In order to access the storage compartment 25 of the headboard, the rear surface 38 of the headboard 01 further includes a reversibly securable opening, which can be opened for example opened with a zipper (12, 13). In the illustrated embodiments, a portion of the rear surface 38 of the headboard cover 04 bounded by the zipper (12, 13) forms a flap which can be pulled upward and laterally to reveal an opening into which components of the bed frame 21 and/or mattress foundation 40 (or other items desired to be stored) can be placed, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The mattress foundation 40 (FIG. 5) includes a head end frame portion 41 attached at opposing ends to each of two side frame portions 43, which are secured at their other ends to a foot end frame portion 43. As with the side rails 03, in some embodiments the side frame portions 43 can each be formed by one or more subcomponents, such as proximal side frame portion 44 and distal side frame portion 45, which can be joined by a removable metal bed bracket 10. The mattress foundation can be supported above a support surface by a plurality of vertical supports 46. In order to accommodate a plurality of slats or ribs 11, lateral supports 47 extending between the side frame portions 43 can also be included. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the ribs 11 are preferably arranged in three rows in staggered arrangement above a metal frame of the bed foundation. As shown in FIG. 14, the ribs 11 can be reversibly secured by hook and loop (e.g., VELCRO) bonding (18, 19) to form a fixed structure.

The present bed frame assembly can be packaged as shown in FIG. 7 with the component parts of both the soft bed frame 21 shown in FIG. 12 and the mattress foundation (FIG. 5), according to the space partitioned by the headboard box (FIGS. 6 and 8). After storage, the packaging volume occupies less space, the utilization rate of the shipping space is high, and the cost of transportation is saved. According to the present invention, the soft bed frame assembly is assembled by components and can be disassembled, and the components are modularized and the components are standardized in design (FIG. 6), in order to simplify such assembly and disassembly. The components of the bed frame 21, and preferably also of the mattress foundation 40, can be disassembled and placed within the storage area of the headboard 01. FIG. 6 illustrates the disassembled components of both the bed frame 21 and mattress foundation 40, as well as the empty storage space of the headboard 01. FIG. 7 illustrates the packing of such components within the headboard storage area. As the side rails 03 may in some cases be longer than the headboard storage compartments (15-17), the side rails 03 can preferably be formed by two or more reversibly secured component parts so that the component parts can be stored in the headboard storage compartment 25. In the illustrated embodiment, the side rails 03 are each formed by a proximal side rail portion 22 and a distal side rail portion 23. These are secured to each other by medial side rail connectors 08, which can be metal connecting pieces (FIG. 9). Further L-shaped connectors 07 can be used to secure the proximal and distal ends of each side rail to the corresponding side of the headboard 01 and foot portion of the bed frame 04 (FIGS. 10 and 11). In order to be able to store the cushion in the headboard 01, it can be rolled up and vacuum-packed, as shown in FIG. 7.

Compared with the traditional integral bed frame, the present invention has the beneficial effect that it allows efficient storage and transportation of all the components of a soft bed frame.

Traditional soft bed frames by contrast cannot accommodate the disassembled components of such frames, leading to the need for more packaging and to a larger packaging volume, occupying more storage and transportation space.

The examples set forth herein are provided to illustrate certain concepts of the disclosure. The apparatus, devices, or components illustrated above may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art will comprehend that these are merely illustrative in nature, and other examples may fall within the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims. While the above descriptions contain many specific embodiments of the invention, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of specific embodiments thereof.

The terms “above,” “below,” “higher, “lower,” “between,” “top,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” and other terms of relative position or orientation as used herein refer to a relative position of one layer with respect to other layers, generally with reference to a support surface on which the present mattress is supported, such as a floor. “Vertical” and “horizontal” are likewise used in relation to such a support surface.

The term “comprise” and variations of the term, such as “comprising” and “comprises,” are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” and similar referents used herein are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural unless their usage in context indicates otherwise. Ranges which are described as being “between” two values include the indicated values. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A bed frame assembly comprising: 1) a bed frame having a right side, left side, upper end, lower end, proximal end, and distal end, comprising: a) a headboard having a right side, a left side, an upper end, a lower end, a front surface and a rear surface, the headboard further comprising: i) a rigid rectangular frame having four sides, each side having a width between the front surface and rear surface of the headboard; ii) one or more internal partitions extending between parallel sides of the frame; iii) a cover formed by one or more pieces of material extending over at least the rear surface of the headboard, the cover further including a reversibly securable opening, wherein the space within the cover forms a storage area divided by the internal partitions; b) a right side rail having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the right side rail can be attached to the lower end of the right side of the headboard so as to extend distally from the headboard, c) a left side rail having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the left side rail be attached to the lower end of the left side of the headboard so as to extend distally from the headboard, and d) a foot portion having a right side and a left side, wherein the right side of the foot portion can be attached to the distal end of the right side rail and the left side of the foot portion can be attached to the distal end of the left side rail; and 2) a mattress foundation sized to fit between the headboard, right side rail, left side rail, and foot portion of the bed frame.
 2. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, further comprising a headboard cushion reversibly attached to the front surface of the headboard, the cushion having a right side, a left side, an upper end, a lower end, a front surface and a rear surface.
 3. The bed frame assembly of claim 2, wherein: the headboard further comprises a first portion of a zipper extending horizontally between the right side and the left side of the headboard at an upper end of the front surface of the headboard, the cushion further comprises a second portion of the zipper extending between the right side and the left side of the cushion on the upper end of the rear surface, and the first portion and second portion of the zipper can be mated to reversibly secure the cushion to the headboard.
 4. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, further comprising leg supports extending downwardly from the distal end of each of the side rails or from the right side and left side of the foot portion of the bed frame.
 5. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the right side rail comprises a proximal side rail portion and a distal side rail portion, and wherein the proximal side rail portion and a medial side rail portion are attached to each other by a medial side rail connector.
 6. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the left side rail comprises a proximal side rail portion and a distal side rail portion, and wherein the proximal side rail portion and a medial side rail portion are attached to each other by a medial side rail connector.
 7. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the mattress foundation comprises: a frame having a head end frame portion, foot end frame portion, a right side frame portion extending between a right side of each the head end and foot end frame portions, and a left side frame portion extending between a left side of each of the head end and foot end frame portions; one or more lateral supports extending between the right side frame portion and the side frame portion; and a plurality of slats, each slat having an upper surface, a lower surface, a proximal end, and a distal end, wherein the proximal end of each slat is positioned on top of the head end portion or one of the lateral supports of the frame, and wherein the distal end of each slat is positioned on top of the foot end frame portion or one of the lateral supports of the frame.
 8. The bed frame assembly of claim 7, wherein the upper surface of the head end portion, foot end portion, and lateral supports comprises one half of a hook and loop fastener, and wherein the lower surface of at least the proximal and distal ends of the slats comprises the other half of the hook and loop fastener, so that the slats are reversibly secured to the frame.
 9. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the headboard frame has a width between the front surface and rear surface of the headboard, and wherein the one or more partitions have approximately the same width as the width of the headboard frame.
 10. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the headboard includes two partitions extending between parallel sides of the frame.
 11. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the right side rail, left side rail, and foot portion of the bed frame can be reversibly disassembled into components, and wherein the components are sized to fit within the storage area of the headboard.
 12. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, wherein reversibly secured opening of the cover is a zipper opening.
 13. The bed frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the cover extends over the front surface of the headboard. 